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South African runner Caster Semenya: Is she male or female IAAF inquiry wants to know? (video)


Is she male or female? 18-year-old Caster Semenya (pictured on the right)

The first intriguing controversy has erupted at the Berlin Track and Field World Championships with the IAAF asking South African runner 18-year-old Caster Semenya (pictured on the right) to confirm that she is indeed a women.

Semenya is the favorite to win Wednesday's 800 final at the world championships, but questions swirl around the runner who seems to defy her gender.

IAAF spokesman Nick Davies says the "extremely complex, difficult" test has been conducted, but that the results are not expected for weeks.

"The situation today is that we don't have any conclusive evidence that she should not be allowed to run," Davies said.

The sensational 800 metes runner won her semi-final in commanding fashion at Berlin's Olympic Stadium on Monday night and questions about her gender immediately erupted.

You can watch her most recent interview below:

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, Endurance Sports Examiner

Roman Mica is a amateur Clydesdale triathlete who lives and races in Boulder, Colorado and has his own website, EverymanTri.com. He is the founding member of team raceAthlete. His most recent book is entitled No, Seriously My Training Begins Tomorrow: The Everyman's Guide to IRONFIT Swimming,...

Comments

  • Roland 2 years ago

    Look at her/his face. I bet she is a shemale!!!

  • Jimmy 2 years ago

    I believe the same question has been asked a few times in the 800.
    Jarmila Kratochvílova for one, but that was probably more about too much testosterone doping. Watching the race today definitely put the question in my mind. It will be interesting to see what they find.

  • Are you kidding me 2 years ago

    There's no question that she is a he...look at the afternoon shadow. Listen to the interview anyone with half a brain can tell he's fos...the joke's on anyone who even remotely thinks he is a she.

  • Sabrina 2 years ago

    There's no doubt about it, that is a he, a female does not act like that even if she was a tom boy, they don't act like that.

  • Defiantely male! 2 years ago

    At the very end, they asked if he/she ever played football, and the answer was yes. Not many females play football. The mannerisms and facial structure totally look like a man. The voice sounds like a man as well.

  • Dawn 2 years ago

    I don't see a single aspect of her/him that looks feminine. If you look at the picture showing all the other racers too no matter how flat chested or how narrow the hips are on the other women they all still look like women. This person has nothing to make me believe he is a she.

  • Jen 2 years ago

    I am curious about this case, but regardless of gender the audience viewing the video should note that most of the world besides the USA call soccer "football" (in response to above comment by: Definitely male) and both men and women play soccer/football internationally so. . . can't really look at that as a clue to gender--fyi

  • monique 2 years ago

    We live in africa!! Our black woman are big build and half of all woman have some facial hair, not all of us can afford to have it removed. What about the black ladies running in the 100m final, if they have sort hair they will also be questioned; only difference is they have make-up on. What about men that have long hair, wear earings and have small dicks - are they also being tested. So what if she played soccer at school, university, we played rugby with the boys during brake time. what a lot of nonsense. Give her the respect she deserves. she did great!!!

  • Dan 2 years ago

    Aside from the fact that Caster Semenya clearly looks like a man, any track coach, lifelong runner, or even casual jogger will tell you that she/he runs like a man. But, with all that being said, let's all wait for the results.

    PS: $10 says that the videoclip from the post race interview following Caster Semenya's 2009 World Championship victory in the 800 meters will end up in a segment of Fox TV's "Lie To Me" show this Fall. Did you notice how Semenya kept looking down toward the end of the clip? Clearly, Semenya was not telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

  • Mxolisi 2 years ago

    what makes one a women, the hips, the vagina, or breast or physics. Semenya is only 18 yrs, and she has been training since she was young and involved in man sport like soccer and rugby. she has a vagina since birth, no hipps, cause she trains hard.If she was white in complexion i don't think the same question would have been raise. Let's leave the champ alone

  • money talks=system bends 2 years ago

    I understand why are they questioning her gender. I'm sure all atletes undergo a physical exam and requires certain documents before competing. And they should!
    This is like what happened in china when they held the olympics...it was the issue on the age of girls who were competing in gymnastics..they found out that one of the girls was too young to compete after winning the medal.

  • Robert 2 years ago

    To Monique and the others defending "her": males aren't tested by gender because they compete against all-comers. Since women's races are limited to females only, there is gender testing. Get it?

    And this type of cheating has happened before. This is most likely an "intersex" person...a genetic test would confirm that this is NOT a woman. I suggest you read more about intersex persons before making prideful statements here.

  • Farid 2 years ago

    Lelaki ke perempuan? Ke khunsa? Ada kedua-dua organ seks ..

  • Jennifer 2 years ago

    I first saw an article and still image and thought...she is just extremely athletic and fit--and like a lot of females who train all their lives, she has developed a "harder" look to her. But after seeing the video, she comes off as a he. Caster doesn't even appear androgynous--she looks and acts 100% like a male. And at 18 years young, "her" hormones wouldn't produce such a dramatic look of facial hair at such an early age. However, I'm neither a physician nor a bio-scientist.

    I'm extremely curious to see what the DNA results indicate.

  • Jennifer-prpowermoves.com 2 years ago

    P.S.

    Has anyone checked for an adams apple?

  • matt 2 years ago

    id bone it but hey that just me

  • Dom 2 years ago

    You are all idiots! She was born that way and that's it. We don't get to chose our bodies. Ignorants. Jealousy. Probably fat ass girls that wish they had some sort of talent. Or short dick men that wish they could run like this girl. Its called compassion, imagine that was you in her body, what would do, how would you feel? I cant believe you people, so shallow. That's whats ugly.

  • Dom 2 years ago

    Oh and Sabrina, Id kick you in the face if you were standing in front of me. Straight to hell. Have fun!

  • Bill 2 years ago

    Hey maxolist drop the loser raciest crap. They asked the same questions about the russian women in the 50 and sixties. Any time the question a black we hear the same raciest raciest. I say stupid stupid.

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